Reinforced composite panel for building floors, walls, beams and pillars

ABSTRACT

A composite panel for the construction of floors, walls, beams and pillars, comprising a prismatic or parallelepiped-shaped laminated structure body consisting of a plurality of corrugated sheets that are arranged in parallel planes. The corrugations of each sheet are extended in directions parallel to each other and crossed relative to those of the adjacent corrugated sheets. The valleys of the corrugations of a sheet are linked to the peaks of the corrugations of the adjacent sheet. The panel comprises perforated reinforcing tubular members that are fixed on outer surfaces of the laminated structure body.

This application claims benefit of Serial No. TO2010A000072, filed 2 Feb. 2010 in Italy and which application is incorporated herein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosed applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a reinforced composite panel for the construction of floors, walls, beams and pillars, of the type stated in the preamble of claim 1.

A panel having a composite structure of the above-mentioned type is known from EP-A-1 840 290. Generally, the panel consists of corrugated sheets made of resin-impregnated paper, which are overlapped and bonded to each other and alternately inclined, where the valleys of the corrugations of a sheet are linked to the corrugation peaks of the adjacent sheet. These panels have been mainly used for the construction of non-load bearing curtain walls, due to the fact that they are capable of receiving and holding, without undergoing any shape variation, many varying construction materials in their receptacles. These materials are applied by buttering, bonding, spraying or other fastening systems. Typically, normal or fiber-reinforced mortars, lime, pre-mixed plasters, cements, tiles and ceramics, fiberglass, glass- and carbon fibers, plastics and composite materials, paper and decorative laminates, wallpaper, wood, plywoods and derivatives, polystyrene and polyurethane are used. These panels are also used as lightweight members in the construction of ribbed slab floors made of reinforced concrete.

Said panels offer high performance in terms of lightness, cost-effectiveness, easiness of assembly and sound-deadening capacity, and withstand both dynamic and sysmic stress as well. However, they do not have such characteristics of static stiffness as to make them suitable for the construction of load-bearing walls and/or floors, unless other traditional structural members, such as beams and joists, H-beams and the like, are provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The general object of the invention is, accordingly, to provide a reinforced composite panel that combines the characteristics of lightness and cost-effectiveness of the panels as discussed above, in addition to having such an inherent load-bearing capacity as to be suitable for withstanding structural loads, which allows to build floors, walls, beams and pillars.

Another object of the invention is to provide a panel that is particularly easy to assemble and mount with similar panels, according to a substantially modular pattern, in order to build the load-bearing structure of a building.

These and other objects and advantages, which will be better understood below, are achieved according to the invention by a reinforced composite panel having the features stated in the annexed claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Several preferred though non-limiting embodiments will be now described, which are provided by way of examples, of a reinforced panel according to the invention; reference will be made to the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective, partially cut-away views of a panel according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the panel in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of an edge area of a panel according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIG. 1, a composite panel is generally designated at 10 which comprises a laminated structure body 11, which consists of a plurality of corrugated sheets 12, 13 that are arranged according to parallel planes. The corrugations of each sheet 12 (or 13) are extended in parallel directions to each other and are crossed relative to those of the two adjacent sheets 13 (or 12), and the valleys of the corrugations of a sheet are secured to the peaks of the corrugations of the adjacent sheet.

The laminated structure body 11 is not much different from the one illustrated and described in EP-A-1 840 290. The corrugated layers 12, 13 preferably consist of a paper-like material impregnated with artificial resins. By paper-like material is meant herein a material of vegetal origin in the form of a thin foil, such as paper, card and cardboard. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the layers 12, 13 are made with “Kraft” paper having particular characteristics of resistance and toughness. The paper providing the layers 12, 13 preferably has a maximum paper density of 1000 g/m², preferably a paper density ranging between 20 and 200 g/m², and still more preferably between 80 and 140 g/m². Alternatively, other types of paper can be used, such as for example newsprint or paper obtained by means of recycled waste materials.

The artificial resins that impregnate the paper for providing the corrugated layers 12, 13 are preferably polymeric materials that can be obtained by means of the well-known polycondensation method, such that the paper material can be impregnated with the not-yet condensed polymers and then wait for the polymers to solidify. For example, melamine resins, or phenolic resins can be used. These artificial resins provide the paper material with high resistance to water, humidity and chemical agents, as well as higher mechanical strength. Alternatively, the corrugated layers can consist of polymer, metal, composite materials, such as fiberglass, or others (for example, wood, textiles, felt, wool, and cotton).

The linear corrugations of the corrugated layers are preferably of regular shapes and sizes. For example, the length of each wave is about twice the height, thereof, suitably the length ranges between about 5 and 30 mm, preferably between 16 and 20 mm, and a maximum height preferably of 30 mm, more preferably ranging between 3 and 15 mm, and still more preferably 8 and 10 mm. By increasing or decreasing the amplitude of these waves the structural strength of the laminated body 11 can be decreased or increased, respectively.

The successive layers are preferably bonded to each other by means of the same artificial resins with which the paper is impregnated, for example by means of vynilic resins. As known per se, the mutual bond of the layers results to be easy because the corrugations of the adjacent layers are extended in different directions, where an upper layer is laid on the ridges of the corrugations of the lower layer, without requiring any intermediate laying plane.

In the particular embodiment illustrated in the drawings, reference is made to a panel shaped as a rectangular parallelepiped. It is understood that the choice of a parallelepiped shape is preferred for several applications though it is not compulsory in view of implementing the invention. Particularly, the invention is suitable to be implemented with a prismaticshaped panel, for example with two opposite faces having a curved profile, or with a geometrical structure different from a symmetrical structure.

With 14, 15 are designated perforated reinforcing tubular members, which are suitable to be integrated in the finished panel. The tubular members are fixed to the outer surfaces of the laminated body 11. In the preferred embodiment illustrated herein, the tubular members 14 are partially accommodated within seats 16 that are shaped as elongated recesses provided along the edges of the laminated body. This location facilitates the proper positioning of the tubular reinforcements relative to the laminated body 11 and allows an improved integration of these reinforcements in the finished panel.

The arrangement of the tubular reinforcements along the edges of the laminated body results in a cage-like framework that serves to optimize the strength of the panel against both compression and flexural or shear stresses acting according to any direction, particularly acting on planes perpendicular to the most extended face 17 of the panel in case the latter is used for obtaining a deck, and according to directions parallel to the face 17 when the panel is intended to act as a modular member for obtaining a load-bearing wall. Alternatively, according to a less preferred variant embodiment, not illustrated herein, the housing seats for the reinforcing members may be provided along the outer surfaces of the laminated body but not along the edges of the latter.

On the reinforced panels, a covering 18 of mortar or other hardening blend is applied, which in addition to covering at least one part of the outer surfaces of the laminated body 11, it also embeds the tubular reinforcing members, makes the latter integral with the laminated body and fills the inner cavities thereof thereby providing a monolith mixed structure along with the reinforcing members, which in the preferred embodiment has the appearance of a peripheral cage made of reinforced concrete and integral with the laminated body.

Still in accordance with the preferred embodiment, the tubular members have a cross-section of a rectangular or square shape with a diffuse perforation which has the double task of allowing the mortar to fill the space within the tubular member and facilitating the mechanical connection to other similar reinforcing members. The mechanical connection is mainly carried out with other reinforcing members of a same panel, in this example by means of fastening members such as bolts 19, advantageously connected at the vertices of the body 11. In the same manner, the mechanical connection can be carried out between consecutive or adjacent panels, according to the specific part of building to be built. The diffuse perforation is a particularly advantageous way to uniformly introduce and spread the mortar (or other blend) being applied. Furthermore, the even spread of the perforation is preferred over a small number of passageways for the mortar because it does not create any stress concentrations or peaks in certain areas relative to others, and thus it does not create particular structural weakening points. The permeation of the mortar in a plurality of holes creates a particularly effective and well settled anchoring of the reinforcing members to the rest of the panel. It will be further appreciated that a tubular, and accordingly hollow, reinforcement has a higher moment of inertia than a solid member, with the cross-sectional area being equal. The hollow shape of the reinforcing members further offers a particularly comfortable seat for housing further reinforcing members, such as steel bars and/or wires that can be arranged within the tubular member to be then embedded in the same hardening mixture.

The square or rectangular shape of the cross-section of the reinforcing members facilitates the right-edge connection of these members around a prismatic or parallelepiped-shaped body. The coupling and the subsequent anchoring of the reinforcing members relative to the laminated body result to be more effective when, as in the embodiment illustrated herein, the seats provided along the edges of the laminated body have a cross-section that is partially corresponding to that of the tubular body. In this example, with square- or rectangular-section tubular members, the seats in the laminated body are provided by a pair of consecutive right-angled walls, against which two consecutive faces of the reinforcement tube 14 are rested (FIG. 4). According to other embodiments of the invention (not illustrated), the reinforcing members have an open-ring section (for example according to a C-shaped section), of a polygonal or rounded shape. For several applications, in fact, a longitudinal slit can be preferred, which facilitates the mortar to pass therethrough in order to fill the inner cavity of the reinforcing tubular member.

Suitable materials for making the reinforcing members can be selected from steel, fiberglass, wood or bamboo and more generally any rigid material capable of withstanding tensile stress. For example, the reinforcing members can be made of polycarbonate, advantageously obtained by means of pultrusion. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the reinforcing members are obtained by folding and welding a perforated metal sheet plate having a reticular structure, with drillings of any shape, square in this example.

The mortar can be applied by spraying, for example by means of plaster machines. According to a particularly preferred embodiment (FIG. 4), in the assembled condition, the outer surfaces of the reinforcing members are not flush with the outer surfaces of the laminated body, but are slightly recessed, in order to have a greater assurance that the metal member has been completely coated by the mortar that is spread on the outer faces of the panel and in which the reinforcing members are embedded.

The reinforcing members 15 act as brackets that transversally connect two of the longer reinforcing members that develop along parallel edges, and are mainly subjected to shear and torsion stresses when the panel is used for making a floor, whereas they counteract the peak load instability when the panel is used for the construction of a load-bearing wall.

As known, the outer surface of the laminated structure body is very uneven and offers an ideal grip for the concrete material, which is thereby easily held on all the outer faces of the laminate body 11. After the mortar has hardened, which coats the outer faces of the panel and provides reinforced concrete beams along the panel edges, the panel has such characteristics of flexural, compression and tensile strength as to make it suitable for acting as a modular member for obtaining a load-bearing wall or a floor, without requiring further reinforcing members.

While several embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, a number of variant embodiments can be obviously carried out, and the panel can be subjected to modifications relating to shape, size, arrangement of parts, construction details and materials used. For example, other connection means can be selected to fasten the reinforcing members to each other, without however departing from scope of the invention as defined by the annexed claims. 

1. A composite panel for building floors, walls, beams and pillars, comprising a laminated structure body of substantially prismatic or parallelepiped shape comprising a plurality of corrugated sheets arranged in parallel planes, wherein the corrugations of each sheet extend parallel in directions crossing the directions of the adjacent corrugated sheets, and wherein the valleys of the corrugations of one sheet are secured to the peaks of the corrugations of the adjacent sheet, wherein the panel comprises a plurality of perforated tubular reinforcing members fixed on outer surfaces of the laminated structure body.
 2. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein at least some of the tubular reinforcing members are fixed along at least two parallel edges of the laminated structure body.
 3. The composite panel of claim 2, wherein the tubular reinforcing members are connected to one another so as to form a cage-like frame around the edges of the laminated structure body.
 4. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the tubular reinforcing members are connected to one another by mechanical fastening means.
 5. The composite panel of claim 3, wherein the tubular reinforcing members are connected to one another at the vertices of the prism or parallelepiped of the laminated structure body.
 6. The composite panel of claim 2, wherein the tubular reinforcing members are partially accommodated in seats shaped as elongate recesses obtained along the edges of the laminated structure body.
 7. The composite panel of claim 6, wherein the seats have transversal cross-sections partially matching those of the tubular reinforcing members accommodated therein.
 8. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the tubular reinforcing members have transversal cross-sections of rectangular or square shape.
 9. The composite panel of claim 6, wherein the tubular reinforcing members have transversal cross-sections of rectangular or square shape and that the seats of the laminated structure body each provide a pair of consecutive walls at a right angle resting against two consecutive faces of the reinforcing members accommodated therein.
 10. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the tubular reinforcing members are embedded in a hardened covering, such as mortar or plaster, which fills their inner cavities.
 11. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the outer surfaces of the tubular reinforcing members are recessed with respect to the outer faces of the laminated structure body.
 12. The composite panel of claim 10, wherein the hardened covering covers at least partially at least one outer face of the laminated structure body.
 13. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the tubular reinforcing members have a closed ring transversal cross section.
 14. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the tubular reinforcing members have an open ring transversal cross section with a longitudinally extending slit.
 15. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the tubular reinforcing members are made of a rigid material, preferably selected from the following: steel, fibreglass-reinforced resin, polycarbonate, wood, bamboo.
 16. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the tubular reinforcing members are obtained by bending and welding a perforated metal sheet of reticular structure.
 17. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the tubular reinforcing members provide a substantially uniformly distributed perforations.
 18. The composite panel of claim 1, wherein the corrugated layers of the laminated structure body are made of paper-like material impregnated with artificial resin. 